Historical Figures

Portrait of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, a young West African girl presented at Queen Victoria’s court
April 17, 2026
Sarah Forbes Bonetta’s Brighton story, from royal patronage and public spectacle to marriage, family and Black history in Victorian Britain
Portrait of surgeon Monica Lewin, a pioneering Black medical figure
April 9, 2026
Read about Monica Lewin, a pioneering surgeon with a Brighton link, and her place in Black medical history and local community memory.
Illustration or portrait of Olaudah Equiano, abolitionist and writer
April 4, 2026
Explore Olaudah Equiano’s story and the links between his abolition work, Black presence in Britain and Brighton’s anti slavery networks.
Image showing Bob Marley or related reggae imagery linked to Brighton
April 3, 2026
Discover Bob Marley’s Brighton connection and the place of reggae, sound systems and Black music in the city’s cultural history.
Historic Brighton scene representing the city’s links to slavery and empire
March 28, 2026
Explore how Brighton’s past was linked to slavery, wealth and empire through local people, places and historical records that reveal these legacies.
John Agard – Guyanese British poet based in Lewes Sussex
February 25, 2026
John Agard, Queen's Gold Medal poet and GCSE set text author, lives in Lewes, Sussex. Explore his Guyanese roots and his deep Brighton connections.
Grace Nichols – Guyanese British poet based in Lewes Sussex
February 21, 2026
Grace Nichols, Commonwealth Poetry Prize winner, has lived in Lewes near Brighton since 1977. Explore her Guyanese roots and Sussex literary legacy.
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February 18, 2026
Listen to the story of Princess Aida Desta, a senior Ethiopian royal figure whose life and exile connect to wider Black and minority histories.
February 14, 2026
Read about the early life of Nobel Prize winning author Rabindranath Tagore. Learn about his time living in Hove and his studies on Ship Street in Brighton.
Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani of Hawaiʻi during her time in Hove
February 14, 2026
ead how Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani of Hawaiʻi lived in Hove while preparing for a future changed by the fall of the Hawaiian monarchy.